How good are you and your team at first impressions?

The quote "you never get a second chance to make a first impression" has been attributed to a number of astute thinkers including Oscar Wilde and Will Rogers. The idea behind the quote remains especially relevant, all the more so in this day of instant communication and omnipresent media. Do you make a good first impression in all the potential avenues a resident could encounter you? Do you go way beyond curb appeal to control your image in every possible way?

We are one of only a few competitive, modern industries that doesn’t directly poll our customers, potentially won or lost. Instead, we rely on shops. While valuable and insightful, they aren’t always directly reflective of the experience our customers are having on our sites. Rarely can a shopper who is actually impressed by a leasing consultant or other onsite professional actually consummate a sale. We merely receive a report with points won here and others lost there. Because of this disconnect, shops are used sparingly and sometimes not at all. I have worked with dozens of companies that don’t know how to mine these reports for information that actually changes their business.

If you did have the opportunity or facility to speak with your customers directly, how do you think they would grade you? What elements of your operation are missing the mark? In what areas do you and your team excel? How does your property “feel” to a prospect? What attitude are you and your staff conveying?

As a consultant and earlier as a salesperson in the field, I have spent many countless hours waiting in property leasing offices, my eyes glazing over at the site of the Otis Spunkmeyer oven with crumbs in the bottom, the faded balloons in the corner and the stack of printed apartment magazines on the leasing desk. But I am a weary and trained eye. What do your prospects see? Do they see an environment that represents all the best your property has to offer? Are they greeted promptly by a professional, courteous, well-dressed and well-informed staff member? Do they have to endure inappropriate music choices, uncomfortable waiting room furniture or some other impediment? How do your elements sell you? The bottom line is, the job of selling your property cannot be left to just your leasing consultant. You, as a professional property manager, supervisor or marketing associate, must ensure that your property is not working against you.

One idea I have long advocated that isn’t always well received in my audiences is that the management team at any given property should be shuffled up periodically. A property manager who has arrived at the same old place for twenty years becomes immune to its problems. They cannot see the physical flaws, or have stopped caring.

Look at yourself. Take a look at all of the faces you show the public. Start with the easy ones - your leasing office, your curb appeal, your signage, your staff. How professional do you come across? How polished is your presentation? How well tended is your garden, lighting and walkways?

Next you have your media. How accurate and representative is your website? How current and effective are your ads in printed publications, on online listing services? Who is leading your online social media presence? Does it accurately reflect you? What about your outreach, your direct sales efforts? Do all of these present you in the best possible light? The problem is, many property managers don’t know the answer to that question.

There are many other areas that aid in the impression you receive in your marketplace. Each property needs a unique and customized market plan that constantly addresses new areas and stays on top of the old ones. A property without a plan in place risks losing customers because of bad first impressions. It is the rare apartment prospect who will give you a second chance. You can’t afford to write off their first.

Christopher Higgins is The Apartment Guy, a  professional speaker, consultant and owner of multifamily properties in 6 states and 2 Canadian provinces. Working with clients around the globe, he has created comprehensive marketing and sales plans for properties of all types, always putting their best foot forward. For more, visit www.theapartmentguy.net.